


don't leave me (you're the only one i have left)

by OnceUponAnApril (Ciara_M)



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: British English, Crushes, F/M, Friendship, I apologise, I let Rayla swear because I'm not a coward, If You Squint - Freeform, If anyone sexualises these two children I will personally riot, Light Angst, Sharing a Bed, Sickfic, t for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 02:12:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19781128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciara_M/pseuds/OnceUponAnApril
Summary: "While Rayla kneeled over her friend, contemplating the next course of action, Callum fumbled for her hand, which was still pressed against his forehead. His five-fingered hand squeezed her four-fingered. He grabbed it like it was his last shot at life and, without warning, Callum pulled Rayla with the strength of a healthy person, dragging her slightly onto the bed.“Callum!” Rayla hissed, stunned.“Mhm?”“What are you doing?”He drew her closer. “This is nice.”Primal sources, he’s delirious, she thought."





	don't leave me (you're the only one i have left)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for fun and it turned out to be decent, so here's something I threw together instead of sleeping! Have a ball.

“I can sleep on the floor,” Callum yawned from beside her, chucking his sketchbook and bag in the corner of the squat room. It had been hard enough to smuggle Callum into the run-down Xadian inn without sending the elfen staff into a panic, but there was no sense of relief when Rayla had opened the stiff door to a tiny, thinly walled room with a single window. However, even through the night-filled, dim room, the elf could make out the main issue: a lone bed pushed against the wall, or rather, the fact that there was only one. The filthy wooden floorboards creaked as Rayla dropped her few belongings down beside Callum’s. There were no shelves. She sniffed, inhaling a musty stench that belonged back in the human lands, not Xadia. 

She would have preferred to be sleeping in the woods as usual, instead of in this quaint Earthblood village. Her roots were in nature, not civilization. However, her yearning to sleep a map of stars was hindered by the sniffling human prince who was attempting to sacrifice his night’s rest. 

She glanced between Callum, who was swaying on his feet, and the bed. He lowered himself to the floor and started to make himself comfortable before releasing a giant sneeze, followed by a brutal coughing fit. A muffled “shut up!” called out from behind the wall to Rayla’s left.

“Yeah, you’re taking the bed.” Rayla dragged him to his feet, sighing. She dropped and stretched out across the wood. It groaned a little. Meanwhile, Zym had leapt up at the foot of the mattress, curling into a little ball of dragon. Callum remained and hovered in the little floor space of the room. 

“Rayla-” he protested but Rayla scowled.

“-Callum, get your sick ass into the bed.”

Her sharp tone killed any potential arguments that might have slipped past his lips. He clambered under the lone sheet that decorated the single bed. The frame bent slightly under his and Zym’s weight, emitting a low  _ creak. _ The dragon prince let out a quiet snore at Callum’s feet, who was shivering despite being buried under the blanket. How good was that blanket anyway? It had probably been torn apart by moths, given the state of the rest of the room. 

It had only been a couple of minutes, but she was already shuffling around on the floor. The dirt would have been so much more comfortable. She turned her attention back to her friend to distract herself. Even though it was dark and Rayla could only make out her friend’s shadowy figure, she could have sworn he was sweating. His breathing was laboured. Was he asleep? Rayla couldn’t stop thinking about when Callum had used dark magic and almost died because of it. She and Ezran thought he had recovered, but what if this wasn’t a common human fever? What if it was some kind of relapse? 

There was a sudden movement from the bed. “Cold…”

Rayla bit her lip and rose to her knees. She shuffled over to Callum and placed the back of her hand against his forehead. He was sweaty, burning hotter than a sunfire elf. 

Rayla wasn’t used to taking care of people. When she was young, own parents had left due to the shame of failing to protect the egg of the Dragon Prince. She had been raised by Runaan, the epitome of a Moonshadow assassin: Focused honourable and strong. Because of this, Rayla didn’t understand how to perform a role such as taking care of a sick person, but humans were a lot different from Moonshadow elves. Travelling with a young human-like Ezran had given her an inkling of sisterly feelings and a general comprehension of being there for her friends, emotionally and physically. 

Humans were also different because they apparently got sick incredibly easily.

While Rayla kneeled over her friend, contemplating the next course of action, Callum fumbled for her hand, which was still pressed against his forehead. His five-fingered hand squeezed her four-fingered. He grabbed it like it was his last shot at life and, without warning, Callum pulled Rayla with the strength of a healthy person, dragging her slightly onto the bed.

“Callum!” Rayla hissed, stunned.

“Mhm?”

“What are you doing?”

He drew her closer. “This is nice.”

_ Primal sources, he’s delirious _ , she thought.

Rayla was barely on the bed; her legs dangled off the side of it. There was plenty of space between them, but not enough for it to be any less awkward to meet Callum’s gaze through the darkness. All of a sudden, the green eyes widened as Callum realised what he had just done. Flushing, he dropped Rayla’s hand.

“Oh jeez, I am so sorry!” He stammered. It would have been cute if Rayla wasn’t fearing for his life. “I don’t know what came over me. I mean, I would never… I didn’t want to… Probably uncomfortable…” He trailed off.

Rayla sighed, trying to make herself sound as resigned as possible. “It’s fine. The floor fucking sucks anyways.” She pulled herself fully into the bed, drawing her closer to her friend as she fought for some of the blanket, which she discovered was itchy. 

“Wait, are you sure you’re fine with sharing? I can take the floor if you’re uncomfortable.” Callum’s voice sounded like a hoarse, croaky frog.

She shrugged. Their noses were almost touching. She leaned back a little. “It’s fine with me if it’s fine with you.” She’d be able to keep a better eye on him from here anyways.

Callum exhaled. “Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s good.”

She could feel the heat radiating off of him. Rayla couldn’t help but press her hand against his forehead yet again- It was the only thing she knew to do. She wished that she could run to the woods to gather plants for some kind of remedy, but she didn’t want to leave the boy alone. She was pretty sure it was just a common human fever, but there was a nagging voice at the back of her mind, terrified that he might not recover. What would she do then? She would have to present Zym to the Dragon Queen herself- Would that be enough to stop the war? Or did a Prince of Katolis have to be the one to enact the gesture of peace? 

But the real question that was eating away at her was the question of what Rayla would personally do. Callum hadn’t been in her life long, only a handful of weeks. However, it had crushed Rayla when Ezran turned to return to his kingdom. With Runaan missing, Callum was the only one she had left. How would she react if he were to… What was she thinking? It was just a fever. He would be fine. 

She turned on the springy mattress and tried to get comfortable. She failed. At one point, she forgot that the sleeping baby dragon existed and accidentally kicked Zym, who yelped before retreating closer to Callum. Rayla tugged at the blanket but her sick friend had practically cocooned himself in it, so she had to make do with a tiny corner of it. 

Sighing, she closed her eyes and focused on falling asleep.

* * *

At several points during the night, Callum woke up delirious from his fitful sleep. The first few times, he was too groggy to register any of his surroundings before slipping unconscious again. However, it was maybe the fifth or sixth time awakening when he had finally come around to his senses.

Zym was purring at Callum’s feet. It was still dark outside, but there was a glimmer of street light pouring through the small window from the. He could make out another, small figure through the shadows, lying in the bed facing away from him. His heart jolted when he realised that it was Rayla. Hazy, memories flooded back to him. A beat dropped within him.  _ Please tell me I didn’t really do that! _ He begged to himself. How awkward must he have made Rayla feel?

His sickness had subsided, but it lingered. He was still lightheaded, hoarse and generally icky. However, existing didn’t hurt as much. He felt well enough to mentally curse himself for pulling the elf girl into sharing a bed with him. It was just… After Ezran had left, he had felt so lonely. Rayla was great, of course, but he missed his brother. During his deliriousness, he hadn’t practiced any restraint whatsoever and had tried to rub away some of the emptiness using Rayla. His ill self just really didn’t want to be alone, and Rayla was the only one he had left.

Rayla was curled up into a tight ball, facing towards him with her eyes screwed shut. She took up way less space than she should have, given the size of the bed and the size of the girl. Did she always sleep like this? Instinctively closed off to the entire world? She was one tiny movement away from tumbling off the bed, with one of both her arms and legs dangling off the side. Meanwhile, Callum was sprawled across over half the bed, the blanket spread over his body and his body alone. He reached for the corner of the moth-ridden sheet and wrapped it around it her. Then, he gently lifted the girl fully onto the bed. 

As he was moving her, a four-fingered hand clutched his wrist. The unconscious Rayla dragged herself closer to him, letting out a small sigh. His chest pounded as he fumbled, panicking over what to do next, but his heart swelled as Rayla uncurled herself and drew nearer. Her legs brushed against his. A sudden, small whimper emitted from the elf. He gasped. The contact was already starting to overload Callum’s brain, but his mind was completely short-circuited when the girl pushed herself into his chest. He clumsily placed his arms around Rayla. She was tense, but as held her, she relaxed. 

Her breathing gradually fell into a deep rhythm, so Callum shut his eyes, but he couldn’t shut down his whirring thoughts.

* * *

Dawn poured through the squat window, prompting Rayla to blink to consciousness. She squinted at first, aware of a warm but… weird surface beneath her. It was uneven and lumpy, sharp in some places. She opened her eyes for real.

_ What the… _

Half of her was on top of a sleeping Callum. Her head rested against his chest while he hogged the pillow. The wondered if her horns had prodded him. His right arm was tucked under her, his left wrapped around her waist. Her arms were resting against his chest below her head. Their legs were a tangled mess. It was the most comfortable Rayla had slept in years.

She tilted her head up towards her friend. There was a trickle of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. Sleep dusted the skin under his eyes. His brown hair resembled poorly made birds nest. His chest rose and fell, producing a gentle, low snore from his hanging mouth. 

He looked handsome.

At that thought she snapped herself from admiring- no, not admiring-  _ observing _ her friend. Callum was beginning to shift under her. She pulled herself free from the snare of body parts and out of the bed, hopefully before he could process how they had awoken. 

She rubbed a drowsy Zym’s head, trying to recall how that scene had come to be. All she could remember was a drowsy Callum pulling her into the bed, and then the scattered remnants of a terrible nightmare that had at some point morphed into something… pleasant. She sighed set about organising her bag, scrounging for food.

“Morning,” Callum croaked from the bed, propping himself up with his elbows.

Rayla tried to ignore her heated face and chucked a handful of berries that she had just uncovered at him. “Breakfast.”

His reflexes were crap, so he scrambled to pluck the berries from the tousled blanket and floorboards before Zym could get at them. “Gee, thanks.” 

“How are you feeling?”

He sat up. “Better, actually.”

“Well, good.” A pang struck her. She cursed it, but a nagging voice lingered, hoping that Callum would need her to share the bed again. Did he even need it? Or was had he just been impulsive and silly, acting on every stupid inkling that sprung into his head because of his sickness. Whatever the case, he would probably never do it again.

After finishing his nutritious, well-balanced breakfast of approximately 12 berries, Callum dragged himself out of bed. He hobbled over to her in the corner of the room and threw himself on the floor beside her. He reached over her for his sketchbook, his hand brushing against hers. Her pointed ears burned, but she continued to dig through the bags. Callum immersed himself in his art. Rayla noticed that he occasionally glanced upwards at her for a moment or two, before dropping his gaze each time she met his eyes.

The constant looking up and looking down was driving her crazy. “Whatcha drawing?” She asked.

Callum pressed his sketchbook against his chest. “Nothing.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Let me see.”

“...no.”

She lunged for the book with the skill of a trained assassin. Callum dodged, but ended up banging his head on the floor in the fall with a  _ thump! _ The sketchbook skidded out of his reach as he jerked up and raised his hand to the area of impact. She snatched the book from the floor, tearing it open to a hasty drawing of… her.

It was obviously incomplete, but it held the potential of a masterpiece. Callum’s art was always exceptionally good, she was aware he had a perfect visual memory and huge talent. However, this hasty doodle held an uncanny resemblance to her. It depicted her, kneeling over the bags, tucking a lock of white hair behind her elfen ear. There was a trace of an absentminded smile on her counterpart’s lips. The real Rayla’s face went pink.

Her jaw was hanging open. “This is…” 

Callum reached over and yanked it from her stunned hands. “None of your business?”

“Really good,” she corrected. 

Blushing, Callum frowned and snapped the sketchbook shut. “It’s embarrassing, that’s what it is.”

“Why?” 

He fell quiet. His blush deepened from a dark pink to blood red. His face was so bright that Rayla worried he might collapse and die on the spot. It was odd. Callum had never been embarrassed by his art before. And yet, the silence continued to hang in the air until Callum coughed to clear his throat. The action didn’t do much for his voice’s newfound high pitched tone. “We should probably move. Gotta get Zym to the Queen and all.” 

He clambered to his feet and offered her his hand. 

* * *

“Why?” Rayla had questioned. 

Why was he embarrassed? 

A burning sensation crept up his neck, spreading over his face. He couldn’t even bring himself to meet Rayla’s eyes. The awkward quiet which crept into the room only made him yearn to shrink away more. 

He was embarrassed because he had barely noticed that he was sketching her. His mind had been swarmed with thoughts about his friend: How she had let Callum invade her personal space, how she had curled up like a frightened animal, how she had melted into him.

Internally shaking himself, he cleared his throat. “We should probably move. Gotta get Zym to the Queen and all.” His voice was uncomfortably squeaky.

He rose and held his hand out to her. She didn’t look him in the eye until she accepted his outstretched hand, but she smiled as he helped her up. If he could have gone redder, he would have.

With a start, he realised why he had been sketching her.

In that moment, she had just looked really pretty.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm thinking about starting a writing blog but for now, my Dragon Prince tumblr is https://princecallumsscarf.tumblr.com/ !   
> Feel free to check me and my dumb content out!


End file.
